--- title: מִצְוָה — commandment · The Tanakh dictionary description: מִצְוָה (4687), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 181 times: commandment. BDB 1906: n.f. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4687.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [מ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1502-8.md)‎ / מִצְוָה‎ # מִצְוָה «מִצְוָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **commandment** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 181 times · **Key:** 4687 · **BDB:** מִצְוָה² ### Glosses commandments (93); commandment (25); the.commandments (23) ### Meaning (OSHB) commandment [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4687/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) n.f. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4687/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** n.f. commandment;—מ׳ Pr 6:23 +; cstr. מִצְוַת Jos 22:3 +; sf. מִצְוָֽתְךָ Dt 26:13 ψ 119:96; מִצְוָתוֹ Nu 15:31; pl. מִצְוֹת abs. Lv 26:14 + (מִצְווֹת Ne 9:14); cstr. 4:2 +; sf. מִצְוֹתַי Gn 26:5 +, etc.;—not used before D and Je; in Je only of man’s commands; not Ez nor Minor Proph., except Mal;— commandment, of man: king, 1 K 2:43; 2 K 18:36 = Is 36:21; 2 Ch 8:15 + 14 times; מ׳ אב Je 35:14, 16, 18; Pr 6:20; מ׳ אנשׁים Is 29:13; pl. only Je 35:18; Pr 10:8; Ne 10:33; המצוה, the order (title of property) Je 32:11. of God: sg. the commandment, code of law: 2 Ch 8:13 Ezr 10:3 ψ 19:9; especially of D שׁמר המ׳ Dt 8:1, 2 + 5 times D; עשׂח המ׳ Dt 6:25; 15:5; (ה)מ׳ אשׁר צוּה Dt 26:13; 30:11; 31:5; סוּר מִן המ׳ Dt 17:20; מ׳ הֵפַר Nu 15:31 (P); ‖ תּוֹרָה Ex 24:12 (RD) Jos 22:5 (D) 2 Ch 14:3; 31:21; + חֻקִּים, מִשְׁפָּטִים Dt 5:28; 6:1 +. pl. of commands of D and later codes (exc. Ju 3:4) c. 2 pl. (ye shall, shall not; BrHex 197, 246 ff.), Lv 4:2 + 5 times (P), Is 48:18 + 25 times (late; especially ψ 119, 20 times); שׁמר מ׳ Ex 20:6 (R) Lv 22:31 (H) Dt 4:2 + 10 times D, 1 K 14:8; 2 K 18:6 + 5 times; עשׂה מ׳ Lv 26:14 (H) + 5 times; שׁמע מ׳ Dt 11:13 + 4 times; המ׳ אשׁר צוּה Lv 27:34 (H); עבר מ׳ Dt 26:13; 2 Ch 24:20; עזב מ׳ 1 K 18:18; 2 K 17:16; Ezr 9:10; הפר מ׳ Ezr 9:14; in combinations, especially by Redactors and late writers; order various: (1) with חֻקִּים Ex 15:26 (RD) Dt 4:40; Ezr 7:11 +; ח׳ + משׁפטים Dt 26:17; 1 K 8:58; Ne 1:7; 10:30; + משׁפטים, תורות Ne 9:13; + תורה Ne 9:14; + עדוֹת Dt 6:17; 1 Ch 29:19; 2 Ch 34:31. (2) with חֻקּוֹת Lv 26:3 (H) Dt 6:2; 10:13 + 9 times; ח׳ + משׁפטים Lv 26:15; Dt 8:11; 11:1; 30:16; 1 K 6:12 + תורה, משׁפטים ψ 89:32, + משׁפטים, עֵדְוֹת 1 K 2:3; + תּוֹרוֹת Gn 26:5 (RD); + עדוֹת 2 K 23:3. (3) with משׁפטים Nu 36:13 (P) 1 Ch 28:7; Ne 9:29; Dn 9:5; with תורות Ex 16:28 (R), with ערות Ne 9:34. of special commands of God 1 S 13:13; 1 K 13:21; 2 Ch 29:25; Ne 13:5; Mal 2:1, 4; Jb 23:12. commandment, sg., of code of wisdom Pr 19:16, ‖ תורה 6:23, ‖ דבר 13:13; pl. of special commands 2:1; 3:1; 4:4; 7:1, 2. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 92 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (8 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (5 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «מִצְוָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4687/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 119:47](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.119.47/) וְאֶשְׁתַּֽעֲשַׁ֥ע בְּמִצְוֺתֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָהָֽבְתִּי׃ *Word for word:* and I.will.delight.myself in commandments your which I.love *JPS 1917:* And I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved. [Psalms 119:21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.119.21/) גָּ֭עַרְתָּ זֵדִ֣ים אֲרוּרִ֑ים הַ֝שֹּׁגִים מִמִּצְוֺתֶֽיךָ׃ *Word for word:* you.rebuke arrogant.\[people\] cursed.\[people\] \[who\].go astray from commandments your *JPS 1917:* Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, that do err from Thy commandments. - ← previous: [מְצוּדָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5de_5b0_5e6_5d5_5bc_5d3_5b8_5d4.md) - next →: [מְצוֹלָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4688.md) - ↑ back to [מ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1502-8.md)